And I don't always find him to be as loyal to the conservative cause as I'd like.
But in a new column, Frum makes a very compelling case for the candidacy of Mitt Romney.
Here's an excerpt:
For three years, Republican activists, strategists, and donors have tried to find a plausible alternative to Romney, and again and again they have failed. For about 15 minutes, that alternative seemed at last to have materialized in the form of Texas Gov. Rick Perry.Click here to read the entire column.
Perry still leads the national polls and is still raising money. Yet it's hard to miss the loud hiss of air escaping this particular balloon.
Attention, Chris Christie fans. If you are looking for a Republican nominee who could actually do the job of president, who does not repel independent voters, who can survive a 90-minute debate without saying anything foolish, why the hell not Mitt Romney?
So maybe it's time to reconsider the long-standing frontrunner — the candidate who was more than conservative enough for party conservatives back in 2008 — and to rediscover his good points.
2 comments:
The problem with Mitt Romney is that many conservatives don't trust him. They look at him and see just another power-hungry opportunist. They can't reconcile Romney's opposition to Obamacare's Individual Mandate with the one he signed into law in Massachusetts. They can't reconcile Romney's support, or at least acceptance of, abortion rights while Governor of Massachusetts with his position on the subject now.
While Rick Perry choked big time while trying to make this point (as did Tim Pawlenty, in less grotesque fashion), it was nonetheless a valid one - many conservatives don't believe that Mitt Romney is a genuine conservative. They believe that he is just another Republican who wants the Presidency simply for power's sake, and is willing to say or do anything to get it.
And while Mitt Romney is more palatable to independent voters than Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann, I'm not sure independents love him either. Certainly Romney is not as adept and graceful at playing the character of folksy "Ordinary Joe" that George W. Bush was. Romney wears open-neck shirts and eschews ties, but he still comes off as "the guy who laid off your Dad."
Whew!
Don't hold back, Josh.
Yes, Romney needs to be more authentic -- more natural, more real. He needs to trust his instincts more.
But Reagan wasn't ardently pro-life while Governor of California. And Reagan raised taxes while Governor as well.
And the author points out that (having enacted a health care bill in Massachusetts) no one understands health care law better than Romney -- and no one is better positioned to deal with Democrats and Independents on this matter.
There is NO perfect candidate. And again -- large segments of the GOP were unhappy with Reagan, too when he was selected as the nominee.
When conservatives have to choose (Romney or Obama) if that's what it comes to, they'll make the right decision.
They'll decide. And they'll vote, too.
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